DISINFO: Hypocritical EU sanctions on Russia are illegitimate under international law
SUMMARY
The European Council's decision to expand the list of Russian individuals sanctioned due to their alleged role in undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity is hypocritical.
Any sanctions imposed without the approval of the UN Security Council are illegitimate from the perspective of international law.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative concerning EU sanctions on Russia.
Moscow has falsely claimed that the EU sanctions are illegal ever since their imposition in 2014, following Russia's invasion, annexation, and ongoing occupation of Crimea.
The EU established the sanctions regime under its own laws, specifically Council Regulation (EU) No 833/2014, "concerning restrictive measures in view of Russia's actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine." The regulation limits the activities of a number of foreign nationals on EU territory only, which makes it a matter of EU law specifically. Thus, considerations about eventual roles of UN Security Council are not relevant.
It is worth mentioning here that Russia's counter-sanctions are not passed by the UN Security Council.
See here for further debunking by Polygraph.info.